It's tempting to start this review of this Vic Records retrospective release with just two words and they would be, this rules. Mefisto are a Swedish band who popped up around the time of the Bathory and there are definitely similar influences here. Mefisto straddle a world between black metal and thrash metal. Some metal historians out there might even refer to them as proto-blackened thrash. Serious metal historians should consult their history books today due to the reviewer writing a review that resembles an astrology column. If these historians take astrology seriously then it should be noted that their lucky colour is black and their lucky number is 666.
Time to damn the pseudo-science and get to the meat and potatoes of the music. The vocals of Sandro Cajander are raspy grunts that fall in the cracks between death and black metal. The dropped tuning and the guitar distortion blasts through the speakers and kicks all who stand in the way. A classical guitar feel comes through in "Os Liberty". The drumming isn't exactly face-melting but sometimes it is the simple approach that works best and this is the case with a lot of Mefisto's material. There's a heavy Kill Em'All/Ride The Lightning influence on "Underground Circus". A number of the opening riffs seem to have been pulled from "For Whom The Bell Tolls" but the riffs don't distract from the track as a whole especially since they don't last that long.
Some out there might consider this release to be dated but those who enjoy 80's style thrashing death will have to seek this puppy out.
4.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment